Tokyo court rules against 2016 deportation order for 'Cove' dolphin activist Ric O'Barry
The Tokyo District Court ruled Thursday against a government deportation order issued to a U.S. activist opposing dolphin hunts when he tried to enter Japan three years ago. The government had argued that when Richard "Ric" O'Barry, 79, who featured in the Oscar-winning documentary "The ...
Fleet of boats return empty on first day of Taiji's dolphin hunting season
The hunting season for dolphins using a controversial "drive-hunting" method began Sunday in the whaling town of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture, this time without the usual protests from animal-rights groups. While local police officers were on high alert for anti-whaling campaigns, 12 boats left the ...
First whale meat auction held since restart of Japan's commercial hunt
Whale meat auctions were held Thursday in different areas of Japan, the first since the country ended its 31-year commercial whaling hiatus earlier this week, with some cuts selling for over ¥10,000 per kilogram. A whaling fleet left Kushiro in Hokkaido on Monday to hunt ...
Whaling vessel leaves Taiji port for last 'scientific' mission before Japan withdraws from IWC
A whaling vessel left the port of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, on Friday for the last mission of what the government calls a scientific research program before the country withdraws from the International Whaling Commission and starts commercial whaling from July. The No. 7 Katsu Maru ...
Environmental campaigners have filed an unprecedented lawsuit in a bid to halt the so-called drive hunting of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, arguing that the practice is cruel and illegal. In drive hunting, fishermen force dolphins into a cove by beating on boats to disorient ...
Japan's commercial whaling to start in July for the first time in 31 years
A local fisheries association in western Japan will resume commercial whaling from July 1 for the first time in 31 years, association sources have said. The move comes after Japan announced its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in December. An association ship in Taiji, ...
Japanese whaling towns welcome IWC withdrawal but concerns remain over protests
Japanese whaling towns Wednesday welcomed the government's decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, but some local residents voiced concern that it may lead to an escalation in protests. "It is a major decision that will protect domestic fishermen who live on whaling," said ...
Japan's plan to leave International Whaling Commission draws mixed reactions at home and overseas
The government's decision Thursday to leave the International Whaling Commission to resume commercial whaling has drawn mixed reactions at home and criticism abroad. In the town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, which is said to be the place where Japan's whaling culture began, Mayor Kazutaka Sangen ...
The lethal consequences of misclassifying dolphins
Japan's animal welfare regulations could halt the Taiji slaughter if Japanese law categorized dolphins as mammals instead of fish.
Activists alarmed over bottlenose dolphin, penguins abandoned at closed Japanese aquarium
The plight of a lonely bottlenose dolphin and dozens of penguins that have been abandoned in a derelict aquarium since the start of the year sparked protests this week, with activists and ordinary people alike calling for the animals to be saved. The female dolphin, ...
Defying criticism, Taiji pushes forward with bold plans based on continued dolphin hunts
A few years back, the normally sleepy town of Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture was filled with activists furious with its traditional dolphin hunt, which was featured in "The Cove," a 2009 Academy Award-winning documentary. But as the fury ebbs, the town is now betting its ...
Japanese director's pro-whaling documentary wins award at London film festival
A 2015 documentary on local supporters of Japan’s traditions of whaling and dolphin-hunting won an international film festival award Saturday in London.
